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ACCAN continues to call for the adoption of audio description (AD) across the Australian free-to-air market.
What is audio description?
Audio description refers to a verbal commentary used to describe key visual elements of a television program, film, or live performance or event. Identification of speakers, description of gestures, facial expressions, locale, scene changes, and other visual content are narrated. If dialogue is present as part of the program or event, these narrations are inserted during breaks in the dialogue.
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The Regional, Rural and Remote Communications Coalition is concerned reliable home phone services in the bush may be soon put at risk under proposed changes to the Universal Service Obligation (USO).
Members of the Coalition have today appeared at the Productivity Commission’s inquiry into the USO in Sydney.
As part of the Inquiry, the Productivity Commission is examining the possibility of changing how voice services are delivered, so that the NBN network is primarily used to deliver voice services. This could affect rural and remote consumers who are using the nbn Sky Muster satellite and have little to no access to mobile services. Effectively this could mean future voice services for rural and remote Australians could be delivered via satellite.
“While we acknowledge the logic in transitioning to more modern infrastructure, this does not escape the fact that in rural and remote areas a majority of users would be serviced via satellite which does not provide the same reliability or performance to what is currently available,” said Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) CEO, Teresa Corbin.
Read more: #datadrought Coalition comes out in force in support of maintaining landline services
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The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) will tomorrow appear before the Productivity Commission at a public hearing in Sydney to voice concerns about its Draft Inquiry Report on the Universal Service Obligation (USO).
The USO underpins consumers’ access to phone services, including payphones. While many may have never heard about the USO, it is an important obligation that aims to ensure voice services are available and accessible to all Australians.
“Unfortunately, the USO is stuck in the past and is not relevant for all the services that consumers need these days, including broadband – something which we are thankful the Productivity Commission has recognised,” said ACCAN CEO, Teresa Corbin. “However, the direction that the Commission is advising may put some consumers at risk of a reduced service level, and being isolated from society and the community.”
Phone and internet are essential services which should be available to all consumers. The mechanism to deliver these services needs to be reformed to ensure that it is independently accountable and transparent. Many consumer rights and protections hang off of the USO, so it is vital that the frame work which establishes the baseline services is solid.
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The Productivity Commission released in December 2016 its draft inquiry report on the obligation (universal service obligation) that ensures all Australians can access telephone services. While the draft report supports our view that the obligation is outdated and that consumers should have access to broadband services, there are a number of elements which ACCAN raised as concerning in our submission.
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The Attorney-General’s Department recently invited submissions on whether data retained under the Data Retention Scheme should be made available to parties to civil proceedings (for example family law cases and copyright infringement cases).
ACCAN’s submission includes a number of reasons why this information should not be made available in civil cases, including that:
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In November 2016, the Department of Communications and the Arts undertook a review of funding for consumer representation and research and how ACCAN has delivered. This was a valuable opportunity to examine communications consumer representation and research; consider the current model’s effectiveness and the ongoing relevance of s593, as well as future considerations and options.
As part of the response we produced an infographic which compares consumer representation and research before ACCAN was established and an outline of the services we now provide each year. ACCAN’s full submission is also linked below.
Read more: Consumer Representation: Review of s593 of the Telecommunications Act (ACCAN)
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Broadband is now considered essential to provide access to services and employment opportunities, as well as entertainment and education. This is true for all consumers, no matter whether they live in regional, rural or remote areas or in the cities.
Reliable broadband connections are also pivotal for small businesses and farmers who often rely on them to run their businesses. Internet connections provide opportunities for farmers to use sophisticated agricultural software to monitor yield predictions and more. But when services fail, there are no guarantees that apply to internet services to ensure faults are fixed within certain timeframes. This can result in long outages, meaning lost money and productivity for farmers and small businesses, and frustration for general consumers.
Read more: A telecommunications guarantee for the future
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Grand Intentions, a new novel by Professor Trevor Barr, was inspired by the Australian telco industry. The novel tells the story of a fictitious telecommunications company, Telco One, as it undergoes major changes.
Read more: Grand Intentions – a novel about the Australian telco industry
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In November 2016 the Productivity Commission released its Data Availability and Use Draft Report.
ACCAN is pleased that the Productivity Commission has initiated a discussion into how consumers can exercise greater control over data held about them, including a proposal to create a Comprehensive Right to Data Access for individuals.
By increasing the availability and use of data across the private and public sectors, and to individual consumers about themselves, there is potential to stimulate innovation and competitiveness in the marketplace. This could lead to increased choice and better decision-making for consumers, as well as increased transparency and accountability in Government.
Read more: Productivity Commission's Data Availability and Use Draft Report
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The summary below outlines ACCAN's activities from 1 September 2016 to 30 November 2016.
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Many small businesses rely on telecommunication services to operate. When services do not deliver, this can result in losses for small business owners.
To get insights into what telecommunication issues small businesses are facing and hear more about what they need from their services, we interviewed the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), Kate Carnell.
Read more: Number one telco issue for small business is ‘access’
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Download: 
ACCAN Magazine Issue 22 Summer 20173.93 MB (Note: reading order not accessible)
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ACCAN Summer 2017 Magazine - Accessible Version39.29 KB